


Goddess of the Lake

by theycallmehans



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Drama, Asgard, Asgard (Marvel), Avenger Loki (Marvel), Dead People, Death, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Frigga Lives (Marvel), Ghosts, Gods, Historical References, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Love, Magic, Moonlight, Odin (Marvel)'s Bad Parenting, POV Outsider, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Omniscient, Romance, Talking, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tragic Romance, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:34:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25024768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theycallmehans/pseuds/theycallmehans
Summary: Midgard (noun) - [mid-gahrd]The realm in which Loki, God of Mischief and a self-proclaimed monster, finds himself in love with a mortal with no shadow.***When Loki can't sleep, he is riddled with past traumas. His mind wanders to places in which he is afraid he might never return. So, when a beautiful woman that speaks to him as if he has never done wrong appears, he can't bear to let her go.She could be his clean slate. His new beginning.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Tom Hiddleston/Loki/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Goddess of the Lake

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hello! I had a LOT of fun imagining this and writing it out so thank you to the anon who requested it on Tumblr. In fact, I had so much fun that I'm definitely going to be making it into a short multi-chapter fic. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it. :)

Salem. A town, a person, and a ghost. 

Loki had never encountered a beauty such as she, nor did he believe that there was beauty to compare to hers. Under the light of the full moon, a young woman stood under a lone willow tree, her hands held up to her chest as she gazed at the stars. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, a sharp contrast from the pale fabric of her gown. She wore an elegant white gown, presumably Midgardian vintage from what he could see. 

The moonlight danced on her skin, a soft glow emanating from her body in response. Loki wanted to know her; he wanted to see how she glowed in the sunlight. Just by looking at the beautiful stranger, he could feel his world turning upside down. He could already feel his heart surging forward in a desperate attempt to satiate his need for an emotional connection. Despite these thoughts, the god was not aware that this would never happen. He would not realize this until it had become far too late.

At first glance, Loki believed he had laid eyes upon the goddess of the lake. Her eyes were wide with childlike curiosity as a meteor fell from the sky, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. The book in the God of Mischief’s hand long forgotten, he began a slow approach as not to frighten the young lady he had spotted.

Now, Loki was not the type to easily swoon. He had come across many beautiful women in the thousand years he had lived, and each one proved more beautiful than the last. However, this woman, this mere mortal somehow surpassed all expectations and had the god’s heart trembling in his chest with admiration and awe with her beauty. His steps were quiet as he carefully approached, hoping that the young woman would not run away at the sight of him.

_ What was she doing out here on her own? Why was she dressed so sparingly at this time? _

The god’s foot gently knocked a pebble from its place as he took another step towards her, the sound causing her gaze to follow. Her eyes were gentle as they met his, and Loki stilled. If he thought her far-off gazing was magnificent, her eyes on him was pure perfection. Her lips were slightly parted, an unspoken wish seemingly playing on her lips - a secret of the most divine matters. 

“Hello,” he greeted, nodding in a polite manner before taking another wary step.

The woman’s eyes were still wide as she stared at him, watching his every move. He continued to walk slowly towards her until he was standing in front of the gorgeous young lady. 

“Are you able to speak?” His words sounded harsh upon first saying them, but Loki was finding himself to not be very patient for once. Usually he was capable of waiting; this wasn’t the case this very night. The sight of such beauty made his virtues shatter, and all he wanted was to know the name of the goddess before him. “I am Loki. Might I ask for your name?”

Her mouth moved, but no words came out. She held her hand to her lips, seemingly shocked that she had even attempted to reply.  _ Was she mute? _

The young woman smiled gently in embarrassment before opening her mouth once more, “Salem.”

Upon hearing her voice, Loki felt his heart warm. Never before had he heard such a melodious sound. He had heard many women speak, many birds sing, and many prized singers perform, but they all faded away at the sound of the one word. Something about her made his heart and mind run wild, and Loki wanted nothing more than to embrace each moment of his inevitable infatuation for her.

“Salem,” Loki repeated.

The name danced on the tip of his tongue like a song made specifically for him. It was as if he were the composer and her name the composition, a musical masterpiece that he would treasure for the rest of his life. The gentle look on her face made him want to cherish her for the rest of his days.

“Yes?” Her doe eyes were filled with curiosity, looking up at the god with a gaze so warm that Loki could practically feel the ice around his heart melt.

“I apologize if I am overstepping,” the god spoke, eyes wandering over the young woman’s body. “What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

The young woman didn’t respond at first. Her body stiffened as she turned to face the lake again. Salem’s lips pressed into a tight line as if she was contemplating her answer before speaking. Loki attempted to be patient once again, wishing only to hear her voice grace his ears for a third time.

“I couldn’t rest,” she spoke, voice uncertain as the words left her mouth. Loki couldn’t help but notice that her skin seemed to continue to glow despite the moon being covered by a cloud in the sky. He wondered about the phenomenon but didn’t put too much thought into it. There were far more pressing matters than the peculiar dull glow radiating off her skin. 

The God of Mischief nodded, knowing well what it was like to be restless. Sometimes he would lay awake until the moon had faded away and the sun was illuminating everything the eye could reach. Those restless nights came around more often than not, and in his personal experience, he had never wanted anything more than someone to converse with.

So, he offered, “If you would allow me to keep you company, maybe I could be of assistance.”

Salem nodded at Loki, her gentle smile reappearing. The god sat on the grass, patting the spot next to him as he stared up at the woman whose beauty only grew with each passing second. “I don’t bite.”

The mischievous grin on Loki’s face caused the mysterious lady to giggle before she hesitantly sat a foot or so away from him. Her hair fluttered with the gentle breeze as Loki began to talk to her about the moon, the stars, and the endless universes behind each one. Needless to say that Salem was more than just fascinated. Her doe eyes were wide with interest as she soaked in every word that was spoken. Every so often her melodic voice would ask questions to further understand the topic, and for those questions, Loki would be forever grateful.

He never wanted the conversations to end. He wanted every second of the next thousand years to be spent sitting by the side of a woman who did not fear him in the ways mortals, even the Aesir, typically did. In his mind, he wished for these moments to never end.

“Where are you from?” Salem asked, glancing at the foreign robes that adorned Loki’s godlike physique. Of course, she had noticed that his clothing was not of this country, perhaps even this world. The young woman had never believed in the great beyond or the existence of beings outside of Earth, but listening to Loki’s tales and recounts of great battles made her curious as to where such events were taking place.

Now, the chaotic god could have lied to her. He was the God of Lies and lying to a mere mortal would have been an easy feat. However, as he looked into the hazel eyes before him, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. There was no reason to lie to someone who had trusted him enough to sit and talk about all things that had happened under the watchful eye of the Allfather. So, he didn’t.

“I come from a place called Asgard,” Loki responded, eyes never leaving hers as he approached the topic with caution. If she didn’t know who he was before, then surely she would have some clue as to who he was now -  _ what  _ he had done to this planet.

Salem only nodded, “Tell me about it.”

To say he was surprised was something of an understatement. Usually when a mortal found out who he was, they would cower in fear, thinking that he would strike them down and make them bow before him. This wasn’t the case with the young woman. Loki happily went along with it, recalling everything he could remember since his banishment from the realm.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” he started. “The warmth of the morning star beats down quite heavily, but it’s warmth is inviting to all who stand beneath it. Men and women alike wear clothing made with the finest materials. It’s filled with the gods and goddesses of an old religion that was once treasured greatly on this planet.”

Salem sighed happily at the explanation, holding her hand out to splay on top of the soft grass below them. “It sounds divine.”

“It is,” Loki smiled, remembering the happier memories he possessed of the realm in which he had grown up in.

“Gods and goddesses, you say?” The young woman questioned as she continued to touch the blade of grass. “Does that make you a god, Loki?

Loki shivered in delight at the sound of his name coming from her lips. The sound almost distracted him from the fact that she seemed completely unaware of his status let alone his very recent history with the planet she inhabited. The god eyed her almost suspiciously before answering, wondering why she seemed to not be caught up in the times. Could she be from a different realm? Perhaps she was from Alfheim, but even then, she would have known of his existence. The beautiful creature before him most certainly did not look to be an elf either.

“I am, have you not heard of me?” Loki asked.

Salem shook her head politely, “I’m afraid not. My knowledge of deities is quite limited.”

The God of Mischief almost wanted to press further but the look upon the young lady’s face told him that there was no answer that would not open wounds of the past. So, he prompted himself to brush it off. If they grew closer perhaps he would be allowed to pry a bit more.

“And you?” Loki continued the conversation, “Where do you hail from?”

“Salem, the town of Salem,” she whispered, staring off into the distance as she answered his seemingly simple question. “It’s nothing like your home.”

Loki nodded, pretending to understand what she meant, “I’ve not seen much of it, but my team and I do see that there is some interesting history within the city. It may not be as beautiful, but it has its own sense of home to it.”

Salem didn’t respond; instead, she changed the subject. “Your family? Are they also gods?”

“Something of the sort,” he said. When he didn’t say much else, the young woman assumed there was nothing more to be said, and she respected the boundary the god had quickly drawn. He would have his secrets and she would have hers; it was fair. “Is your family still in this city?”

It was Salem’s turn to be mute to the subject. She pondered over her answer for a few moments before filling the silence, “They’re dead.”

Seeing as though both individuals seemed to be wary towards the topic, they came to a silent agreement as their eyes met. It was best to stay away from such personal questions, and without so much as a word, they both agreed to the unspoken rule.

Salem continued to ask questions about the stars and if Loki had ever seen them up close. She asked about Asgard and how different the gods were to the mortals of Earth. She asked Loki if he believed magic was real, and he told her that sorcery was an incredible power to harness. He also opted to show her a few illusions while he was at it. The joy in her eyes sparkled like geodes beneath the darkness of the night. With every minute sat beside her, Loki could feel his heart beginning to fill with an emotion he couldn’t quite grasp.

They spoke for hours beneath the moonlight, questions and answers filling the atmosphere like whimsical clouds. Salem wondered whether or not the god needed to sleep at all, but she also figured that she liked his company too much to ask. Loki spoke more than he had in centuries. His knowledge flowed from within him like a river of life. Every word he spoke seemed to breathe life into the bright eyes of the young woman.

As the night sky began to fade into a paler blue, the light in Salem’s eyes diminished. The childlike glow slowly disappeared as did the glow emitting from her pale skin. In fact, for a split second before she stood, Loki could have sworn the young woman was semi-transparent.

“I must bid you farewell, Loki,” she said, her voice much softer than it was before. It was almost as if all of her was fading away. The god nodded as he stood to his feet as well, and when he reached out his hand as an offering of Midgard's tradition to shake hands, she only retreated further away. Loki withdrew his hand, staring down at it as if he had just done an unspeakable act.

“Will I see you again?” He asked.

“Perhaps,” she replied, eyes frantically looking around as if she were being chased down. Before Loki could say any more, she had swiftly walked away, retreating into the protection of the trees. He began to walk after her, hoping that she would make it home safely despite being out for all hours of the night. The voice of his brother stopped him, though, summoning him back towards where the small ensemble of Avengers were meant to meet up when the sun had risen.

“Loki,” Thor called, motioning for the God of Mischief to follow him. 

“Where are the others?” Loki inquired, glancing around to see if he could find any trace of the beauty that had left him far too quickly. He wanted to meet again, to talk like they had all night over and over again. In fact, the god wanted it so much that he was certain he would never tire of speaking to the mysterious woman named Salem.

Thor gestured to an opening in the woods where Natasha and Bruce were hovering over a mound of grass. The two gods joined the mortals, glancing over their shoulders to inspect whatever they had found. At the sight before them, Loki’s heart dropped into his stomach. Laying on the ground was a stone tablet, gently placed against the mound of greenery, with these words etched into it:

_ Salem _

_ The Town’s Last Witch _

_ 1672 - 1693 _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I'd appreciate some feedback if you choose to do so! xx


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